It is said that some 80% of IT projects fail to meet their full business potential. In terms of cost and time overruns only the reputation of the construction industry comes close.

However, it is possible to run a successful IT project, one
that meets its business objectives. Minimising failure is
about identifying the risks up front, ensuring that change is being introduced for the right reasons, the right technologies are being used and that the organisation has sufficient flexibility within its culture to change business processes and acquire new skills.

The deployment of large scale IT solutions takes time. During which an organisation will be influenced by ongoing commercial pressures. All to often these lead to a significant shift in priority with capital investment projects such as IT suffering from reduced investment or changes in staff.